Friendly Advice
by Center of the Galaxy
Summary: Falling in love with the princess and earning her love in return? That was the easy part. It was all the duties of being the princess' consort that was the hard part. Lucky for Kristoff, there's someone else who's been through this exact same thing to help him through it. *a collection of one-shots, post both movies*
1. Tell Me Something

_**Author's Note: **__I loved Frozen, but once I saw Rapunzel cameo in it, I knew I had to write something. I'm so glad so many other people are being inspired as well! Plus, I feel like Eugene and Kristoff could get along really well. Please enjoy!_

* * *

"All hail Queen Elsa and Princess Anna!" The royal announcer called and Kristoff strained for a glance of his princess. Wearing her green summer dress with the embroidery that she adored, she beamed as she caught his gaze, enthusiastically waving to him. He chuckled somewhat, ducking his head as Elsa's eyes followed her sister's look before coming to rest on his. She bowed her head, respect evident in her eyes and he reluctantly made eye contact with her, acknowledging her presence. Truth was, despite everything he had endured in the past day—had it really only been a day? He owed Anna an apology about finding true love—he still felt out of place here among these people of high status. True, most of the foreign monarchy and dignitaries would be returning home with the tide, but he was in love with a princess.

He doubted this would be his last time at a ball.

"My sister and I," Elsa began, a confident grin on her face. "Would like to apologize for all the confusion that has occurred." Anna chuckled, quickly throwing her hand over her mouth to stop herself, but somehow only making it worse. The crowd shared and the youngest princess of Arendelle cleared her throat noisily. "But, now that the problems have been fixed and those who have caused our Kingdom harm have been dealt with, Anna and I would like to invite you to enjoy the rest of your day."

"Let's dance!" Anna burst out and Elsa laughed, her voice the sound of tinkling bells. It was a sharp contrast to the Elsa of the day before, all bound and cold. This Elsa was free, light and happy. This is the Elsa that Anna had been longing to meet again and seeing them so happy made Kristoff feel joy as well.

The orchestra, sensing their cue, began to play. Couples around him began to waltz and awkwardly, he stepped backwards, trying to be one with the wall, as if he could disappear into it.

"Not quite your thing, is it?" The voice had come from nowhere and the ice merchant jumped somewhat. Seemingly appearing from nowhere, a man with tousled brown hair leaned against the wall next to him. His suit was night like black but was decorated tastefully with a few gold sun emblems that Kristoff swore he knew from something. This man didn't seem like a prince. Unlike everyone else here, his aura was calm and approachable.

It was almost as if he had been in Kristoff's shoes, though Kristoff knew that was impossible.

"The balls?" He clarified and the mysterious man nodded. "No." The man chuckled dryly. "Truth be told, this is my first one."

"So," The man began. "If this isn't your thing, why are you here?" His hazel eyes met his and Kristoff wished that Sven were here in the ballroom with him instead of outside with Olaf. Reindeer were so much easier to talk to than people. Sven always understood what he meant, but people . . . people were so hard to figure out, so hard to understand.

"Princess Anna is my . . ." He hesitated, unsure of what word to use. Girlfriend? Friend? True love? How could he convey what they had when he wasn't exactly sure what it was? She loved him and he loved her—that he knew—but where they went from here? He had no clue.

"Ah, I get it." Kristoff raised his eyebrows.

"You do?" He echoed incredulously. The man turned to face him this time, a warm smile on his lips.

"I'm Eugene," He introduced, offering his hand which Kristoff shook. Eugene's handshake was firm, but not strong enough to hurt. It held enough power to convey that he could be a thorn in somebody else's side if necessary, but that he preferred for things not to get to that point. "Prince of Corona."

"Oh!" The sun emblem made sense now. Then, a spark of recognition flared up. "Wait a second, aren't you—?" Eugene smirked.

"Flynn Rider?" He completed. "Yes, I was."

"I heard so many stories about you!" Kristoff couldn't contain himself. The exploits of Flynn Rider were legendary and the ice merchant used to follow them closely, wondering what it felt like to have that kind of freedom. Now, of course, he was happy with his life, but at the time he had heard of Flynn Rider, something had been missing.

Seeing Anna in the crowd, he realized now what it was.

"Well, don't get too excited," Eugene replied breezily with a wave of his hand. "I'm not a thief anymore."

"No," Kristoff agreed. "You married Princess Rapunzel." At the sound of her name, an unrecognizable expression crossed Eugene's face. His eyes sparkled and his whole body seemed to relax. A lazy grin spread on his face.

"Yeah," He answered. "Yeah, I did." Eugene's eyes settled on something and Kristoff followed his gaze until he saw Anna excitedly talking to someone. He tilted his head and with a gasp realized it was Rapunzel. Her brown hair was somewhat spiky, but a few strands touched her pale pink gown. Her green eyes practically glowed with happiness as she spoke of something with Anna, the two girls now pulling Elsa into the conversation.

"Does it ever get easier?" Kristoff asked offhand as he watched Anna spin around the room, obviously explaining something to Rapunzel, who nodded her head vigorously while Elsa laughed.

"What? The whole getting used to these kind of people?" Kristoff nodded his assent and Eugene sighed softly. "Not really, no," He confessed, running a hand through his hair. "There are always rules to remember and people you have to be nice to even though you hate their guts and want nothing more than to punch them out—" At Kristoff's laugh, Eugene chuckled, clearly understanding his point, especially with what happened with Hans. "But, I do know this." He turned his head to look at Kristoff. "I would sit through an eternity of awful, uncomfortable balls if it meant being by her side."

And seeing Eugene's face, Kristoff knew he meant it.

"Ah, Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaimed, her green eyes lighting up upon seeing her husband. "You have to tell Elsa the story!"

"Story?" Kristoff inquired.

"Of how she and I met." Eugene explained, pushing himself off the wall and taking a step towards his wife. "Tell me something," He started quietly, his expression sobering. "Do you love her?"

"Of course."

Olaf would be proud—no hesitation here. He had loved Anna ever since he had caught her and realized in that moment, how wonderful she felt in his arms. The desperation he felt when he understood that she was dying and that the only way to save her was to entrust her to another man—that all made it crystal clear how much he cared.

Yes, he loved Anna. Nothing would change that. Everything else, he could deal with if it meant never having to part from her again.

Seemingly sensing this, Eugene beamed and patted him on the back before taking another step into the crowd.

"You've got nothing to worry about." He wandered into the crowd, skillfully weaving in and out of it until he came to rest by his wife's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her towards him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She chuckled and Elsa and Anna grinned. Anna, seeing Kristoff once again, suddenly curtsied before she too headed into the crowd. In a few moments she was before him, glee alight on her face. She grabbed his hand within her own and began to tug him towards the exit.

"I have surprise for you!" Anna chirped as they neared the back of the ballroom.

"Eugene always loves to tell our story." He overheard Rapunzel explain and Elsa nodded.

"Then, by all means." Eugene bowed his head and then started with a dramatic flair,

"This is the story of how I died."

And before Anna tugged him out the door, he watched as Eugene began the story. He noticed how Rapunzel hung on every word, as if she hadn't lived it with him. He saw Eugene hold her hand tightly within his, as if he was afraid that she was going to disappear if he let go. The ice merchant realized that if a former thief could handle this for the woman that he loved, then Kristoff surely could. If it was for Anna, it didn't matter what he had to sacrifice. He would gladly give it.

"Kristoff?" Anna stared at him with a perplexed expression. "What is it?" He kissed her fiercely, his relief surging through him. No more being alone. No more choosing isolation in the hopes that no one else would hurt him. With Anna by his side, his life had new meaning.

"I'm just lucky to have you with me." He confessed as they broke apart and she chuckled, wrapping her arms around her waist and hugging him tightly.

"No," She informed him, her eyes meeting his. "I am."

And in that moment, Kristoff knew he was going to be just fine.

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_**Author's Note: **__I have a lot more Frozen/Tangled ideas. We'll see if I get around to writing some more. Anyways, please review if you have a second! _


	2. Challenges

_**Author's Note: **__Wow, I'm so surprised by how many people read this story and enjoyed it! I think I'll upload more Kristoff and Eugene friendship bonding moments here. Kristoff is one of my favorite Disney characters and he and Anna are so adorable together. Plus, I like how he and Eugene can relate to each other. This is set about a day after the end of the movie. Please enjoy!_

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"Presenting her Majesty, Queen Elsa." Kristoff bowed respectfully as he heard Elsa's icy blue heels click on the glossy, wooden floor. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here, without Anna guiding him. Still, Elsa had summoned him and Anna was conveniently nowhere in sight. Sven—the traitor—was outside with Olaf, the two of them exploring the Kingdom.

"Please rise." Elsa's voice was quieter than it had been when he had rushed into her ice palace to help Anna. The tone was softer, yet clearly more confident and as he allowed his body to relax, he noticed the small smile she wore on her peach lips. "You know why I've called you here?"

"Uh, n-no, your Majesty." He stammered, cursing his inability to be with other people. But who could blame him? Just two days ago, the Queen had frozen the kingdom, he had no idea who Anna was, and he and Sven were content to remain forever alone. Now, the idea of life with Anna was unbearable. Maybe it was possible to find true love in one day, who knew? But he was sure of his feelings.

He loved Anna and he would do anything for her.

"Kristoff," She spoke her name with a hint of fondness and a bit of the dread that had settled in his stomach released. "I wish to speak about your relationship with my sister."

Oh.

That had never occurred to him, but yeah, considering how Anna was previously engaged to Hans—look how well that turned out—and now she was in a relationship with Kristoff, a man with no sense of decorum or skill in being with the royals of society. Yeah, he could see how the Queen, who, conveniently, was also a protective big sister would want to meet him.

"About Anna?" He echoed, tensing himself. All his life, he had accepted the fact that he wasn't meant to be with other people. He had his troll family; he had Sven—at the time that had been all he needed. But now, after meeting Anna and almost losing her, he knew that a life without love, a life without Anna wasn't a life at all.

"Yes." She answered. Then, hesitating, she wrung her hands.

"Look, whatever it is you want to say, just tell me." He told her brusquely and then grimacing because he was pretty sure that offending the Queen and more importantly his true love's sister, was a really bad idea. Elsa stepped towards him and Kristoff froze as she came stand directly before him, her gaze piercing his eyes and he wondered if he was searching for something.

"Anna is a princess," Elsa began and the ice harvester nodded his head, well aware of this fact. "I just . . ." The Queen of Arendelle paused, clearly unsure of how to phrase whatever was on her mind. She sighed softly and then smiling kindly, she moved towards one of the huge windows that let in the sunshine. "I want you to know now what you are getting into."

"Into?" With a swish of her gown, Anna's sister turned to face him once more, her eyes alight with something unknown to him.

"As princess of Arendelle, there are certain duties that my sister is expected to perform—"

"Wait, wait," He held up a hand and the Queen stopped, clearly confused by his sudden boldness. "Is this the speech where you tell me to stop seeing Anna?" Elsa shook her head vehemently.

"No!" She exclaimed. "No, not at all, but I want you to know the challenges that you may face."

"Such as?" He was losing patience. He knew that was wrong of him, but he couldn't see his life without Anna—he didn't want to. The idea of no longer having a bubbly, awkwardly adorable Anna bouncing before him filled him with dread. He couldn't go back to the life he had before.

There was no turning back now, not after everything he had experienced with her.

"Well," Elsa began, regally moving to sit on her throne. "For starters, the public will scrutinize your every move, especially because you are unknown to them." She paused, checking his reaction; he gave none. "Should they approve of you, your every move will be followed. You will no longer be able to cross the marketplace without being stopped every few seconds by an amazed onlooker. Should they not approve of you," She frowned slightly, her brows furrowing. "Well, let's just say, you will be shunned from all of society." Kristoff let out a shaky breath, but did his best to remain neutral. "As the consort of the Princess of Arendelle, you will attend balls, mingle with foreign dignitaries and live up to the high standards of our fair kingdom."

"I'm failing to see how this isn't attempting to stop me from seeing Anna." He joked dryly and the Queen laughed, her voice echoing in the large room.

"I simply want you to understand what you are getting into," Elsa explained quietly. Then, with a fierce look in her eyes, she stood once more. "Anna cares deeply for you and I will not see her hurt. If you are not up to the task of—"

"I love Anna!" He blurted out. "The life I had before her . . . it wasn't really a life, just an existence." Meeting her gaze, he felt determination course through his veins. "So, whatever it is that I need to do to make this work, I'll do it."

"Anything?" She repeated curiously.

"Anything." He answered without so much as a moment's hesitation. The door to the left opened and a maid curtsied deeply. "Yes?"

"Princess Rapunzel has arrived for tea."

"Princess Rapunzel?" Kristoff mumbled. He was sure that she had returned home back to her kingdom by now.

"I will join her in a moment." Elsa informed the servant and the woman curtsied before leaving the room. Resting her eyes on him, her expression softened like ice in the warm sun. "Kristoff, make no mistake, I do like you and I know Anna thinks the world of you." She moved towards the door and the guard opened the door. She paused before leaving and with her back to him, she added, "Just don't hurt my sister by agreeing to do this and then not measuring up to what is expected to you."

And with that, she vanished into the other room.

* * *

"So, you look like you've had better days." Kristoff jumped, dropping the carrots that he was about to purchase from the local vendor. Turning his head, he saw Eugene's trademark smirk and the ice merchant resisted the urge to snap at the Prince lest he cause an international incident. He had to think about these kinds of things now, he supposed. "Surprised to see me?" Eugene reached down and grabbed the vegetables before handing them back to Kristoff, who snatched them out of his hand.

"A bit," He muttered, handing the stunned merchant a coin before making he way down towards the stables where Sven was. "I figured after the storm ended, most of the dignitaries would've gone home."

"Blondie wanted to stay and see more of the town." He answered nonchalantly.

"Blondie?" Kristoff remarked. "But Princess Rapunzel is a brunette—" With a wicked grin and a sparkle in his eyes, Eugene countered.

"She wasn't always." At the ice harvester's confused expression, Eugene chuckled and waved him off. "I'll tell you the story sometime." The market was alive with people bustling about. Children ran around with wooden swords, chasing each other and shrieking with laughter. Women gossiped as they inspected various cloths and materials. Merchants called out their lowest prices, trying to encourage shoppers to come to their stall and not a competitor's. A few people stared at Eugene and pointed at him, though no one could seem to figure out who exactly he was. Still, his formal attire made him stand out and Kristoff wondered how he handled the attention. Kristoff couldn't imagine having so many pairs of eyes resting on him at all times. He couldn't picture trading out his comfy clothing for a suit.

He couldn't imagine becoming the kind of person that someone of Anna's status would need.

"There it is again." Eugene's voice cut and Kristoff broke off his reverie.

"What?" He inquired.

"That look you have on your face." He remarked casually. "Like I told you that you weren't allowed to see Princess Anna ever again."

"I don't look like that." He retorted defensively and Eugene chuckled dryly.

"So, did the Queen threaten to freeze you if you hurt her sister?" At his silence, Eugene stiffened and stopped Kristoff in his path. "Did she?"

"No, not really . . ."

"But she said something." The former thief deduced. "Okay, let's hear it." Confused, Kristoff shrugged. "Oh, c'mon, if anyone can relate, it's me. I mean, going from former thief to the now Prince of Corona?" At Kristoff's silence, his expression softened and he placed a hand on the ice harvester's shoulder. "Look, maybe I can help."

"I don't even know you!" The other man shouted, drawing the attention of some the shoppers. Embarrassed, he ducked his head and Eugene laughed heartily.

"Is that it then? You're shy around new people?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I never really met people as a kid—" He started to defend only for Eugene to hold up a hand to silence him.

"You don't have to explain things to me." The Prince informed him, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, my childhood wasn't exactly great either . . ." He shrugged. "But, hey, I like to think that the past does not define us."

"Yet, you still stole that apple from that merchant we passed three stalls back." Kristoff pointed out dryly.

"Borrowed," Eugene pointed out quickly. "I'm going to return it."

"Sure." Kristoff remarked sarcastically.

"What can I say?" The former thief questioned. "Old habits die hard." Then, gaze hardening, he stared the harvester in the eye. "What happened? Seriously, I might be able to help you."

"Why would you want to though?" Kristoff muttered. "I mean, for all you know, I could be some wanted criminal or something that's going to take the princess away and—"

"I saw the way you watched her last night," Eugene countered, smiling. "She makes you a better man, I can tell." The ice harvester chuckled softly, slight embarrassed that his affection for Anna was so evident. "Besides, I doubt you've ever stolen something in your life." Smirking, the former thief confidently stood before Kristoff, ready to listen to whatever the ice harvester might have to say.

"The Queen warned about all the duties that the consort of the Princess would have."

"Ah," Eugene drawled. "She gave you the whole 'be sure you can handle this before you get closer to my sister' did she?" He ran a hand through his hair as Kristoff nodded. "The King and Queen of Corona gave me a variation of that too." They were walking now, moving towards the edge of the palace walls. The sea breeze ruffled Kristoff's hair and he stood there, breathing it in. There was something extremely humbling about the vastness of the sea. It could bring everything into prospective. The Prince of Corona came to stand by his side and they simply listened to the distant waves hit the shore.

"I just want to do what is best for Anna." He confessed quietly. The voices from the town seemed to fade away as the admission came out. His deepest fear was losing Anna—he had come too close to that before—but was losing Anna better than disappointing her? What if Elsa was right? What if he did end up hurting Anna? He wanted to always be by her side, to hold her in his arms forever. Yet, if he couldn't live up to the duties of Royal Consort—

"Listen, Kristoff, I'll admit that I haven't known you long," Eugene interrupted softly, his gaze still locked on the sea. "But, if the way she lit up upon seeing you last night was any indication, you seem to be doing okay." He grinned, but Kristoff found it hard to accept that. He had to think about Anna's future, what was best for her.

"How do you handle it?"

"The duties of the being the Royal Consort?" He clarified and Kristoff nodded. "Well, I mean, it's hard." He chuckled softly. "You go from living life a certain way to suddenly learning how to dance, how to bow properly, how to talk to people—the list goes on and on. Your life will never be the same." His head turned to rest on the ice harvester's gaze. "But . . ."

"But?" Kristoff pressed and Eugene chuckled.

"For Rapunzel, I can be that man." He let his words sink in for a few seconds. "Kristoff, you just need to ask yourself if making the sacrifice will be worth it for you."

"Eugene!" Emerging from the crowd, Kristoff glimpsed Princess Rapunzel waving wildly with Anna at her side. As Anna's gaze came to rest onto his, he beamed. For Anna, he could be that man. For Anna, he would be that man.

He wouldn't let her down.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Eugene moved towards his wife who was now whispering something to Anna who laughed in reply, her eyes twinkling. "I'll see you around, Kristoff."

And then Eugene was off once more.

"Thanks." Kristoff whispered.

With a smile, he moved towards the stables. He would get Sven and inform his friend of his good news.

It was time for a new beginning.

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_**Author's Note: **__If the muse moves me, I'll add more to this collection. I hope you enjoyed. Please review if you have a chance! _


	3. Nightmares

_**Author's Note: **__I've been asked a lot to write about Rapunzel bonding with the sisters. I want to stress that this story focuses on Kristoff and Eugene and their shared experiences. That being said, I will try to throw in some more moments with Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa or write another story about them. So, please enjoy this chapter!_

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_ The wind roared in his ears, as the cold bit into him, like needles pinpricking his skin and threatening to tear him apart. His chest heaved but his lungs didn't seem to be working. The lack of oxygen made the world around him sway, but he forced himself to keep running, to keep pushing forward. _

_ He had to save Anna._

_ Anna, who was freezing and if he couldn't get to her, it would be game over. She would die and he would never be able to forgive himself. He had to tell her how he felt about her, how much he had grown to love her. He was wrong—true love could happen in just a day. _

_ "Kristoff." A whisper on the wind that caused him to halt in his tracks. He frantically scanned the area and his gaze came to rest upon her. Anna's eyes met his and he held his breath, a faint smile gracing his lips. He had found her; he still had time. _

_ He could save her._

_ "Anna!" _

_ She huffed out a laugh, clearly relieved and he began to move towards her, breaking into a sprint and pushing himself harder than ever before. He reached out a hand—she was just within reach!_

_ "Kristoff!" _

_ She froze, the light going out in her eyes. The Anna he adored now stood before him, lifeless. She was gone forever. He had failed her. _

"_Anna!" _

_He was alone once more._

* * *

His eyes flew open and he awoke in a cold sweat. He sucked in oxygen, trying to remember how to breathe, trying to remind his body that he was no longer in the storm. Anna was fine—she was alive and in the east wing of the palace, sleeping soundly under a pile of the warmest blankets and most definitely safe.

"She's fine." He repeated to himself, needing to hear the reassurance even though he logically knew that nothing was wrong. Still, his heart pounded a mile a minute and whenever he shut his eyes, all he saw was Anna's frozen body and Elsa sobbing in her arms. He ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply and slowly. "Anna's fine." After a few minutes of trying to return back to sleep, he realized that it was no longer in the cards for him. Pushing off the silky blankets—why did he have to sleep in the palace anyway? The stable had always done him well before—he slipped out of bed and quickly changed into a shirt and some shorts. The night was warm and a gentle breeze ruffled his hair as he escaped from the confines of the castle—the guards gave him some odd looks, but let him pass without so much as a word—and made his way towards the shore. Moonlight glistened on the surface of the water and with a small sigh, he took a seat on the sandy shore and let the peace of nature give him solace.

Anna was alive.

She wasn't freezing to death—she was fine. He knew she was fine, but that didn't chase the nightmares away. The pain of losing Anna was still fresh in his mind, despite some time having passed. He supposed he should go back to bed, but he was fully alert now. He could go talk to Sven about it, the reindeer would be annoyed about being woken up, but he would listen. Even seeing Olaf sounded like a good idea, though he was a bit wary at the advice the talking snowman might give. He could head home, but his mother would probably spend a few hours giving him romantic advice on Anna instead of helping him with his problem.

Which meant, once again, he was on his own.

The sound of something hitting the water snapped him out of his thoughts and the ice harvester glanced down the shore of the lake to see Eugene, dressed in a plain white top and some loose black pants, tossing stones into the blue depths. Rising from the ground, Kristoff noted the Prince's stoic expression. This was not the same man that he was used to; gone was the smirk and the hint of mischief in his eyes. This man . . . this was a man with something weighing heavily on his mind.

"Eugene?" The name slipped through his lips without him even realizing it. The former thief jumped—Kristoff smirked at finally being able to catch him off-guard instead of the other way round—and then dropped the stone he held in his hand. He seemed almost embarrassed at being caught. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No," Corona's Prince interjected quickly. "I just was . . ." He gestured to the water and shrugged slightly.

"Couldn't sleep?" The ice harvester ventured.

"Nope," He confirmed with a roguish grin, reminding Kristoff that he was once the best thief in all of Corona. "You?"

"Nightmare." Eugene nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Yeah?" His tone left it open for discussion but he just nodded his head and let it go. He liked Eugene, yeah, but he wasn't comfortable talking to him about what had happened with Anna, about how he almost lost her. Besides, he wasn't even sure if Eugene could relate or understand his fear, especially because everything was fine now. Frowning slightly, Eugene opened his mouth to say something else when he grimaced suddenly and tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Kristoff inquired quickly. "Are you sick? Do you need a doctor?" He could fetch one quickly if he had to. He wouldn't be useless again. He wouldn't just stand by as someone else died before him—!

"It's fine," Eugene ground out through clenched teeth. "Just give me a second." He breathed out slowly and unclenched and soon, the pain seemed to have left him. At Kristoff's curious glance, he gestured to his stomach. "I was stabbed once. It still hurts sometimes."

"Stabbed?" He echoed incredulously. "Wait, what?"

"It's a long story." Eugene dismissed with a small shrug, trying to downplay this news.

"And it ends with you getting stabbed?" The ice harvester questioned dryly.

"More or less." He answered calmly. "Look, Kristoff, it's just a twinge of pain that comes and goes every once in awhile."

"Uh-huh."

"You don't sound convinced."

"That looked more painful than just a twinge of pain—" Eugene shook his head and picked up the stone that he had abandoned earlier. He tossed it through the air and with a distant thud, it sunk to the watery depths of the lake.

"Fine, it was a pretty bad wound—"

"I'm surprised you didn't bleed out!" He exclaimed, babbling as he did whenever he was nervous. His mother fondly told him that it was one of his more "loveable" traits, though he could never figure out why. Eugene's silence coupled with the reflective expression on his face struck something within the ice harvester. He knew that look—the look of someone who had come close to losing it all and had somehow managed to pull back from the ledge before it was too late. How many times in the past week had he seen that same expression on his own face? "You . . . you didn't, right?" He huffed out a breath. "Of course, you didn't. I mean, you are here. Alive. So obviously—" Where had he been going with this?

"Kristoff?" The Prince of Corona's voice cut through his jumbled thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I did die."

A pause.

"You . . . what?"

"I did bleed out." Eugene stated simply. "I did die." He laughed dryly. "Guess the secret is out, huh?" He patted the other man on the back and smiled brightly.

"Hold on, you died?" Kristoff repeated yet again. "But how are you still . . ?" His words failed him and he gestured to the Prince of Corona.

"Alive?" The ice harvester eagerly nodded his head. "Rapunzel saved me." He said it with such love that it brought a small grin to Kristoff's face. Eugene utterly adored his wife, more than he ever said out loud. He expressed his love through his actions, rather than words. Still, this simple statement said in such a loving way proved, yet again, how much this former thief cared for his wife.

"She got you to a doctor?"

"No, not exactly."

"Then, she fixed the wound?"

"In a manner of speaking." He was being deliberately vague and Kristoff couldn't figure out why.

"I'm not following." Best to be direct, he decided. True, he didn't have the right to make Eugene reveal anything to him, but he would be lying if he didn't admit that he wanted to know about this. Maybe it would help him in dealing with his situation with Anna. After all, what could be more traumatic than being dead and then coming back to life?

"I was stabbed," The Prince informed him once again, his eyes locking onto his gaze. "I bled out in Rapunzel's arms." A flash of darkness flickered in his eyes for the briefest of seconds. "And then she saved me."

"And brought you back to life?"

"Yes." He clarified.

"How?"

"Eugene?" A faint voice called out in the night and the young men turned around to see Rapunzel standing across from them, a blanket wrapped around her bare shoulders as she stood in her pale pink nightgown that touched the soil below her. Green eyes regarded him curiously before coming to rest on her husband's face. "There you are." She smiled warmly, her whole posture relaxing. She crossed over to them and Kristoff hastily bowed, realizing that he was meeting Corona's Crown Princess for the first time.

"Your highness."

"Oh, please, no need for formality," She quickly assured him, stooping down to meet his gaze before they both stood up again. "You must be Kristoff!" She exclaimed, brightening as excitement flickered in her eyes. "Anna talks about you all the time!"

"S-she does?" He stammered, nervous to be speaking to a stranger, let alone a Princess.

"Yes!" She confirmed with an enthusiastic nod of her head, a few strands of brown hair falling in her face. "She's quite fond of you. I never knew that you and Eugene were friends." At the mention of her husband, her eyes slid over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Just phantom pain."

"Again?" She frowned, her lips pouting. She was almost as adorable as Anna. The Princess of Corona took her husband's hand within her own and pressed a kiss to it. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"It doesn't matter—"

"Of course it does," She argued tiredly. "You matter and if what Gothel did to you is still hurting you then we should—"

"It's fine." He assured her with a quick kiss to her temple.

"You would tell me if it wasn't?" She pressed.

"Promise, Blondie." She grinned, seemingly placated with this response. He wrapped the blanket around her arms more securely and placed an arm around her, holding it in place. "You're freezing."

"I got worried when I couldn't find you—"

"I know, but I—"

"I understand." She beamed and Kristoff felt calm just watching them, as if all his worries had simply washed away. "Kristoff?"

"Yes?" He stood to attention, suddenly embarrassed for intruding on what should have been a private moment.

"Thank you for helping my husband." She stated sincerely.

"Oh, but I didn't—" He protested.

"You did though," She insisted. "So, thank you, Kristoff."

"C'mon, Rapunzel," Eugene tugged her towards the palace. "Back to bed, okay? It's cold and you have to get up early."

"You're right." She reached out and squeezed Kristoff's arm reassuringly. "See you soon, I hope."

"Yeah, you too." He replied, somewhat stunned as the Royal Pair of Corona strolled back towards the Palace. He still didn't know what happened with Eugene and maybe he would never know, but seeing someone else struggling with something as deeply as he had given him hope. Maybe it would take a long time to get over the nightmares of almost losing Anna, but seeing Rapunzel and Eugene interact, seeing them support each other, he knew he could handle it.

Maybe he was wrong; maybe he and Eugene had a lot more in common than he had previously thought. With a clear head and a grin tugging at his lips, he returned back to his own bed.

He dreamt of summer days with Anna in his arms.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__If the muse moves me, I will post another chapter. I'm thinking maybe Kristoff learning how to dance from Rapunzel and Eugene. We'll see what happens. Please review if you have a second! Thanks! _


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